[NOTHING WILL STOP FEBRUARY POLLS — JEGA] -------------------------- National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki, (retd) came under verbal attack, yesterday, for his call on the Independent National Electoral Commission, to shit the conduct of the 2015 polls. Former Defence Minister Musliu Obanikoro, former Kwara State Governor, Bukola Saraki, the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties, spokesman of the House of Representatives were among the numerous Nigerians and bodies that condemned Dasuki’s call for election postponement. (See more stories on page 7) As the attacks on Dasuki continued, the Chairman of the INEC, Prof Attahiru Jega, on yesterday assured Nigerians that there was no going back on the conduct of the elections next month. Jega told a stakeholders meeting in Abuja that the issue of permanent voter cards distribution had been laid to rest as those who were yet to get their cards had been directed to where they could do so before the end of the month. Jega said if Nigerians who registered to vote fail to show up and collect their PVCs, there was nothing the commission could do to force them to go and collect their cards. While some Nigerians have genuine cases of their cards not being available there many whose cards are at the various centres for collection. The chairman said that there was no need to postpone the election, whose timetable was issued about a year ago without any opposition from any of the parties. Several groups and individuals rose swiftly to denounce the Presidential adviser for what they see as a callous, self-serving and a potentially dangerous move to abort the election and throw Nigeria into avoidable crisis that can tear the nation apart. Dasuki, seen as the most powerful leader of President Jonathan’s think-tank, went offshore to the British Chatham House and made his damning advocacy that the polls be shifted since INEC had not been able to distribute all the cards it printed for the electorate. Although INEC said it had distributed 68.8 million cards so far, Dasuki told the London audience that only 30 million PVCs had been made available to Nigerian voters. This was apparently to justify his call for the poll shift. It triggered off an immediate condemnation by Nigerians. Kano-based politician, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, descried Dasuki’s call for the poll postponement as a ploy by President Jonathan to plunge Nigeria into chaos, having seen clearly that his opponent, Gen. Buhari, was poised to win the forthcoming election. Mohammed warned Dasuki to jettison their thoughts and allow INEC to conduct the elections as planned, as neither Jonathan nor himself would be able to predict the fall-outs of the planned poll shift. The former House of Representatives member noted that Dasuki had not been able to marshal out any good reason to justify the poll shift, asking why he waited till the last minute to make such a malevolent demand with only three weeks to the elections. - See more
Posted on: Sat, 24 Jan 2015 08:30:13 +0000
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